EDITOR’S LETTER

The UAE - particularly Dubai and
Sharjah - is well known for its traffic,
amongst other things. Just
when you think it can't get any
worse, Dubai presents you with
what I'm sure was the worse traffic
jam in the history of the UAE.
On the day US President George Bush was here, I
had the misfortune to be stuck, alongside hundreds
of other cars in the few roads that were opened to
traffic.

The several road closures caused mayhem like
you wouldn't believe. Even though it was declared a
holiday, you'd still find loads of cars sprawling the
streets and if it wasn't for a medical emergency, I'd
have been happy to stay home on a cool, wet day.
Instead I had to endure four hours on the road
doing 100 metres in 40 minutes. Whatever you
think of George Bush he certainly made his presence
felt that day.

In situations like these, what's most important in
a car is not horsepower but comfort. Specifically,
comfortable seating, good air-conditioning and top
notch entertainment system. In addition, close proximity
sensors would be very helpful, too, since I
found myself closely sandwiched in between cars
trying to inch their way forward at every chance (or
space) they got.

So just a gentle reminder: if you're looking to
buy your next car, find out what sort of interior car
manufacturers offer; not just how fast it can run!